By BRIDGET SCOTT
THE night before Robert ‘Bob’ Wheatley died, he told his friend Ray Drysdale that he wanted to be buried with his Brien Cobcroft Memorial Trophy.
It was typical of the gentle giant that his most treasured posession was an award for community service.
In front of hundreds of morners at his funeral on Tuesday last week, the trophy was placed on top of the coffin and his final wish was seen to.
Bob passed away on 18 March after his taxi was thought to have struck a cow on Manks Road, Dalmore, about 4.30am.
The driver of a Ford sedan travelling westbound then also hit the cow, left the road and ran into a ditch.
The 45-year-old Drouin driver involved escaped injury.
Amid the shock of the sudden death, family and friends took the time to pay tribute to a man whose personality was a big as his physique.
Amber Ventura said her dad was extremely proud of being one of only two people to recieve the Brien Cobcroft Memorial Trophy over the past 10 years.
The Brien Cobcroft Memorial Trophy, which is one of the highest honours in the horse cutting industry, recognises the recipient’s contribution and dedication to horse cutting.
“It’s given by the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) to people that have made an impact in the sport,” she said.
“It’s something he was really proud of.”
The community-minded resident of Kooweerup was involved with the breed since Amber and his son Aaron were small children.
“He used to take us to shows and as we grew up he started to run a show called the Duntay Gelding Stakes,” Amber said.
Originally ran out of a property in Kooweerup, it later moved to Eight Mile Ranch in Nar Nar Goon.
For 20 years, Bob also announced shows all across Australia, plus made time to run a youth clinic in Ballarat, which he did for the past three years.
Bob wasn’t just known for his hard work within the horse cutting fraternity, but was a familiar face to many behind the driver’s wheel of his yellow taxi.
In more recent years, the yellow rig was a familiar site at the Kooweerup football oval where Bob would go each Saturday to watch his grandsons in the Under 13s and 15s.
“You would always spot dad in his yellow taxi sitting around the fence,” his daughter said.
For the past six years, he was a familiar face to many when they needed a lift but before this he was the town handy man after a long career as a builder.
Described by Ray Drysdale as a gentle giant, he said his friend would go out of his way to help anyone.
“He had a heart of gold – nothing was a problem for him,” he said.
“It’s hard to describe people like that.
Ray said the night before Bob passed away he was sitting at his home, three doors down from Bob, and thought he should pop in.
“I thought I haven’t been up there for a week or so, I better go have a beer,” he said.
“I am so glad I did.”
More than 600 people turned out to the funeral at the Kooweerup Community Centre last week to say their final goodbyes to a much loved man, who his daughter said was simply a happy and wonderful person.
“He was such a friendly bloke, he just loved a chat,” she said.
“We knew that, but it’s also the feedback you get off everyone else.”
